Hoyt's Final Apprentice
by sienna.scott
Summary: Hoyt is determined not to let Jane escape his clutches, even in death; his dying words to Jane reveal that he has left behind a final apprentice and that the person that Jane loves the most has betrayed her. Perhaps Hoyt has finally found the perfect way to destroy Jane as she sets out on a vendetta to destroy anyone associated with Hoyt… even if they are her LLBFF… AU
1. REMEMBER ME

HOYT'S FINAL APPRENTICE

Summary: Hoyt is determined not to let Jane escape his clutches, even in death; his dying words to Jane reveal that he has left behind a final apprentice and that the person that Jane loves the most has betrayed her. Perhaps Hoyt has finally found the perfect way to destroy Jane as she sets out on a vendetta to destroy anyone associated with Hoyt… even if they are her LLBFF… [AU]

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N: I welcome criticism, good or bad, so please leave a review if you would like to!

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Chapter One: REMEMBER ME

Detective Jane Rizzoli had never been so scared in all her life; Charles Hoyt, the psychopathic serial killer, had a scalpel to her throat for the third time.

Jane had thought that she had heard the last from her own personal demon, even more so when yesterday she had learnt that he was fighting the last stages of terminal cancer. Now, as she struggled against the weight of Hoyt's body on top of hers, Jane was furious that she had let her guard down and allowed The Surgeon to torment her yet again. Even from prison he had managed to orchestrate his final attack, determined not to let his last victim escape him.

Yes, Jane was truly terrified as she thrashed frantically against her attacker. However, it was not the cold sting of the blade digging into her throat that terrified Jane. Nor was it the feeling of her own blood trickling down her neck. It was not even the smell of Charles Hoyt's breath, his face inches from hers.

The thing that Jane Rizzoli simply could not bear was the cries of her doctor friend, at the hands of Hoyt's guard, an innocent caught in the middle of Charles Hoyt's sick game. She yelled, "Don't you touch her," as she lashed out once again, her concern for her best friend giving her strength that she didn't know she had.

Unfortunately for Jane, her attempts to help Maura were getting her nowhere, instead grabbing the attention of Charles Hoyt, who delighted in an opportunity to hurt someone that Jane loved. He and the guard swapped, much to Jane's anguish, and he made his way over to Doctor Isles.

Hoyt had always been fascinated with Doctor Isles, particularly the relationship between the two friends. She was so different from Jane, even now, in the arms of death, Jane was struggling with all her might, but the Good Doctor was sat still and composed. There was something odd in the way that Maura was so placid and resigned to her fate; he rarely saw that, as a serial killer. He didn't even really need the Taser, Hoyt mused, but he used it anyway; these were going to be his last killings, he might as well have a bit of fun.

Jane went mad when Hoyt sliced his scalpel across Maura's neck and Hoyt revelled in the pleasure of hearing Jane scream. Hoyt looked at Maura's face carefully. It really was a shame; Hoyt saw a lot of himself in her and he had never originally planned on killing the doctor. He knew who her father was and he could see the potential for evil in her, just as he saw that same evil in Jane.

Detective Rizzoli knew for certain now. She was going to kill that son of a bitch. She had hesitated before, but not this time. Never again would she need to wake up in the middle of the night in fear of him. Maura Isles would never have to suffer the sleepless nights that Jane had. That was what Hoyt hadn't counted on, figured Jane. He had no idea just how far she would go, just how strong Jane could be if it meant saving her wonderful friend, Doctor Isles.

The next few moments all merged into one intense blur for Jane. She had knocked down the prison guard, hopefully breaking his nose. She had stumbled in Maura's general direction, only to be met by an irritated Charles Hoyt, angry at not being able to finish his work on the doctor. Jane had no idea of what she was doing, and at any moment Hoyt could have overpowered her, but somehow he didn't. Somehow Jane was the one on top of him, raising the scalpel above her head, ready to plunge it into his blackened heart. Again, Jane hesitated. That was, until she saw the limp body of her best friend out of the corner of her eye, and she knew that she would end this, no matter what the cost.

Korsak and Frost burst into the room just as Jane Rizzoli plunged the scalpel into Hoyt's heart. "I win!" she snarled, watching the colour drain from his face. She was shaking uncontrollably as Korsak began to help her up. All Jane cared about was Maura and she prayed to God that she wasn't too badly hurt. As she saw Frost helping her up, Jane's whole body relaxed; it was over.

That was when Hoyt's arm reached for her, pulling her in close. "Jane," he laughed, "I hope you enjoyed the chase. But don't think that this is over just yet; I still have one last gift for you. One last game that I will play from beyond the grave."

Korsak moved in to free Jane from his grasp, but Jane leant in closer. Hoyt was dying, but still he had the power to terrify her, to manipulate her into another of his traps.

"Call them my Final Apprentice, if you like."

Jane felt Hoyt's grip weaken and asked urgently, "What apprentice, Hoyt? Who is out there? You tell me!"

Hoyt closed his eyes, and in his final moments he uttered his last words so quietly that Jane almost didn't hear him, "Someone that you love. They are mine. Since the day you first met."

Jane's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Could she trust the dying words of a man who lived only to hurt her? Jane watched as Hoyt finally died, his last act to whisper cruelly in Jane's ear, "I win."

Korsak pulled Jane to her feet and held her tight as she shook from the whole incident. She couldn't help thinking about what Hoyt meant. Did he really have a final apprentice? And was this person someone that she loved and trusted? Jane couldn't bear that. Perhaps Hoyt had finally won? Perhaps he had gotten somebody that she loved to betray her?

Jane couldn't help herself from looking over at Maura as the medics arrived at the scene.


	2. THE DEEPEST CUTS

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, they are really appreciated! Let me know what you think of this next chapter.

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Chapter Two: THE DEEPEST CUTS

"Please, you really should let us take a look at you," the young intern said for a second time, trying his best to make eye contact with Jane, "Your friend is fine. The nurses are just dressing her injuries."

Jane wasn't listening to him, instead pacing restlessly along the hospital corridor. This was the fourth person who had tried to move her from her vigil. She wasn't trying to be troublesome; it was just that there was only one doctor that she wanted to see. What was taking her so long?

The man continued to stand awkwardly next to her, as eager as Jane was stubborn. "Fine," Jane conceded, "But do it here, alright?"

The young doctor scarpered off excitedly to get what he needed, happy to have won over the detective. Jane was just grateful to be left alone with her thoughts.

She really was furious. Seeing the cuts that had been made to Maura's skin made her blood boil at the thought that a few more minutes and her friend would have been lying in the morgue and not the emergency room. Jane knew that this day was going to haunt her for a long time, especially because so much of the blame lay on her shoulders. She should have known that Hoyt was playing with her before; it was always games with him. And most of all, she should never have brought someone as special as Maura within one hundred feet of that monster, and for that she would always feel guilty. She had had enough; if Hoyt really did have an apprentice then let them come and God help them.

When Maura finally finished up she emerged from the room to find Jane Rizzoli pacing wildly. This was no surprise to her. She noted that Jane very much resembled a caged lion, which probably offered the best explanation as to why Jane still hadn't been seen to by a doctor. Relief washed over Jane's face at the sight of her friend and she couldn't help noticing that despite all that had happened, Maura still looked completely radiant. Maura walked over, moved her body in close to Jane and both women gazed at each other intensely before collapsing into each other's arms in a long, tight embrace.

"Thank God you're alright," Jane sighed as she held Maura close to her.

"Jane, really, I'm fine," Maura said, gently pulling away, "But you should get somebody to see to that cut. Stop worrying about me."

Maura smiled, but Jane saw through this easily. She knew best of all how it felt to be a victim of Hoyt.

"I'm always going to worry about you."

Jane softly held her friend's hand in hers, "Hey, I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"No," Jane frowned as she turned away quickly, "I shouldn't have brought you."

Maura only laughed, placing her hands on Jane's shoulders and hugging her from behind, "I came of my own accord. And if I hadn't, who knows, you might have been killed?"

"Still–"

"It's over Jane! Hoyt's dead. He can never hurt you again."

Jane looked down and started tapping her foot nervously. Perhaps it was best that she said nothing about Hoyt's last words to her. Maura was undoubtedly unconscious and blissfully unaware of the words that filled Jane's heart with dread. Jane did not want Maura to suffer the nightmares that she always had.

"What? Did something happen?"

Jane met her eyes but she couldn't quite say the words. She hadn't fully processed it herself.

"Hoyt _is_ dead?" Maura asked.

"Yes, of course. Thoroughly dead. It's just that, Hoyt said something to me, you know, before he died."

Maura's whole body suddenly tensed, "What did he say? He couldn't have said anything too–"

"He has another apprentice, Maur."

Maura was clearly speechless but she managed to utter, "I'm sorry."

"He's calling them his final apprentice. And he said some bullshit about it being someone that I loved, someone who has betrayed me."

"Do you believe it?"

Jane shook her head, "No, sick freak is just trying to mess with me."

Maura knew Jane well enough to know that this was not true; Hoyt had already got to her, his words playing on her mind.

Jane continued, "It was probably just some desperate attempt to get one last victory on me. Make me doubt the people I care about."

Jane patted Maura's arm softly at the mention of people she cared about, but Maura's mind was clearly elsewhere.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Maura. Let's just go," she gestured towards the exit, "And it's my birthday, of all days. Ma's throwing some surprise party."

She received no answer. Maura's mind was somewhere far darker than Jane could imagine: a world of apprentices and betrayal. The new information that she had just received made her feel faint. Something bad was going to happen, soon; she had escaped death today, but for whole long?

Maura turned to find that Jane was halfway down the corridor, arguing with an intern holding a mound of bandages. As she advanced towards her friend she thought it kindest to offer them both a mercy. "It's alright, I'm a doctor. I'll sort her out for you."

Jane seemed much happier with this idea. Maura carefully tended to Jane's wounds, cleaning out the cut made by Hoyt's scalpel. Yes, Maura feared the future for both her and Jane. It seemed that Charles Hoyt had at last realised how to play with the wounds that cannot be treated; the ones which fester and change people. It seemed that he had finally realised that the deepest cuts are from betrayal.


	3. HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N: Again, thank you to those who review, you are all lovely! Let me know if I can improve on anything and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

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Chapter Three: HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Jane and Maura arrived at Angela's "surprise" party straight from the hospital. All of Jane's friends and family were there laughing and having a good time. Her whole family was united for the first time in several years with both Tommy and her father joining them for the celebration. As overbearing as her mother sometimes was, Jane knew that she was lucky that she had a mother who cared about her enough to organise a big party.

Ordinarily, Jane would have enjoyed the whole event if it had not been for the rather unsettling events of the last twenty-four hours. In fact, Jane's primary concern was to get as much alcohol as possible into her bloodstream, as quickly as possible. As much as Jane tried to push back the thoughts of apprentices in her mind, she knew Hoyt wasn't one for anti-climaxes; it wasn't really his style. She couldn't help wondering what it was that he'd done which had meant that he died with such a smug look on his face. Now more than ever, Jane wanted a drink. As if he sensed it, one partner to another, Frost pressed a chilled beer into her hands. "Hey Jane," he smiled warmly, "How you doing?"

"Alright, considering," Jane lied.

She took a swig of her drink before catching Korsak's eye. She knew that he was checking up on her, fulfilling his role as her protector. He had saved her from Hoyt before and he knew how easily the serial killer could push her buttons. Korsak was a good man and Jane felt bad that he was no longer her partner; they had been close; he had been there since the start, rescuing her from Hoyt. He was like a father to her, and now he practically was with all his blatant flirting with Angela.

These two men were like family. Maura was like family. Even the concept that Hoyt could have flipped one of them against her was absurd. Jane knew that, but the seed of doubt had been planted and it was beginning to grow. Jane didn't even want to think about Frankie or Tommy. They were her brothers and there was no way that either of them would betray another Rizzoli. It was true that Tommy couldn't help but get into trouble, but anything connected to Hoyt was bad, even for him.

Jane did not enjoy herself. Maura caught Jane's eye about an hour into the party. Jane imagined that they both felt much the same; all that Jane wanted was to sleep off the awful birthday that Hoyt had given her and forget about everything.

Maura closed in on Jane and made an attempt at small talk, "Your mother throws a great party."

Jane wasted no time in cutting to the chase, "Do you wanna go hide in my bedroom?"

Maura nodded, laughing internally that Jane knew exactly what she wanted. She was never very good at parties; the social etiquette escaped her and the idea of burrowing away from the real world in Jane's bed sounded lovely.

Less than one minute later, Jane and Maura had slipped away from the party unnoticed and were curled up in each other's arms.

"What a day it's been," Jane mused.

Maura looked concerned, "I hope that at least some of the day has been salvaged. It is, after all, your birthday."

"Well, I got my wish; Hoyt's dead."

Maura shook her head, "Oh Jane, you shouldn't be so flippant about it. Monster that he was, I'm sure you didn't find it easy killing another human being."

"Well it was kill or be killed," Jane growled, "If you remember."

"Of course I remember," Maura said quietly, "I'm not accusing you of anything. I just worry about you. I deal with death every day and still I think I would find it difficult to kill, even a man such as Hoyt."

"Well I'm not sorry that he's dead."

The pair lay in silence for a few minutes, each engrossed in their own thoughts, before Jane added darkly, "I'll kill his apprentice as well, if there is one, without hesitation. Especially if they betrayed me."

"Jane!" Maura gasped, sitting upright, "You don't know what you're saying. You'd kill someone that you love?"

"I don't love people that betray me," Jane interjected loudly.

"I hope that you've not forgotten who you are. Killing Hoyt was necessary, but unfortunate. Don't let it consume you. Darkness is so contagious Jane. I couldn't bear it if Hoyt changed you."

They lay in silence again. Maura could tell that Jane was sulking, but that was alright. The last thing that Maura needed was Jane going around killing all the people that she suspected as Hoyt's apprentice. No, that would not be good at all.

"There probably is no apprentice anyway," she added reassuringly, "It's all a game, isn't it?"

"Jane!" Angela screamed loudly from next door, "Jane, quick, get out here!"

It was obvious that Jane was not being summoned to perform light-hearted, birthday duties by the urgency in her mother's voice. Jane rose to her feet quickly, the once raucous party now silent in the wake of whatever had upset Angela in the other room.

It was quickly clear what had stopped the party and it nearly stopped Jane's heart too when she saw it. The birthday cake that her mother had bought, complete with a photograph of Jane printed onto the icing, had been violated by the blades of a dozen scalpels.

"Whose idea of a joke is this?" Jane yelled angrily, "Because it's not bloody funny."

"It's no joke, Jane," her mother replied anxiously, "Look."

As Jane caught a glimpse of the note that her mother was passing to her, she felt her stomach churn. Written in blood were the three words, "Happy Birthday Jane." Her mother was right; this was no joke. No one other than her colleagues at the Boston Police Department were aware of the details of that day, and certainly none of them would make a joke of it. This was the work of the apprentice, Hoyt's Final Apprentice.

Jane looked in horror at her friends and family. She could not believe that this was real, that she was going to have to fight against Charles Hoyt again. Killing him had not been enough. Now Jane was prepared to do whatever it took to finish it once and for all. No matter the price.


	4. THE EDGE

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N:I really like reading your reviews and all of your guesses! As always, feel free to review if you want to. Marijke S Bush, I do try to update as quickly as possible but I have to make sure that each chapter is as good as I can make it first, but I'm glad that you want to read my story!

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Chapter Four: THE EDGE

The bags under her eyes were terrible. It had been three days since Jane had found a scalpel driven through her birthday cake and thus it had been three days since Jane had gotten a decent night's sleep. She knew that there were police guarding her apartment, more often than not Frankie and Frost kept watch too, determined to keep her safe. However, this did little to erase the unease that Jane was beginning to feel, after all, police protection had never stopped an apprentice getting to her in the past.

She also couldn't help but feel lonely, despite rarely being left on her own. Maura hadn't been over to Jane's apartment since the party, which was weird. Jane couldn't remember the last time that she hadn't seen her friend in three days; they practically lived with each other. Jane attributed it to fear. Maura was probably pretty shaken up by Hoyt's attack, so to have to deal with an apprentice as well was probably too much for her to handle. Cavanaugh had everyone working on the identity of the apprentice but he was very insistent on Jane staying at home and getting some rest after her ordeal. Jane certainly wasn't going to be kept cooped up much longer, especially because she was starting to feel like an outsider. Moreover, she could think of nothing that would satisfy her more than to nail the son of a bitch who was terrorising her and the people she loved.

As Jane strode into the station she could feel all eyes on her. She paused when she reached the lift, hesitating on whether to head on up to the bullpen or to go and see Maura in the morgue. Jane decided that she wanted to see how Maura was doing; it was unlike her to ignore Jane's texts.

"Hey Maur," Jane called as she pushed open the door to Maura's office. She stopped abruptly when she realised that Maura was not alone.

"Oh sorry, I'll come back later," she started, but then added with surprise, "Agent Dean? What are you doing back from Washington?"

Jane felt a bit bad for barging in as it was clear that she had interrupted an intense conversation. However, Agent Dean stood to greet Jane warmly, explaining, "Your boss called me in to assist with the latest Hoyt development."

Gabriel then turned so that he was only talking to Jane, "Thank God you're alright Jane. I heard things got pretty nasty in that prison."

Jane manoeuvred out of the close proxemics between her and Agent Dean. She looked over at Maura and noted that for once her friend looked even more rattled than she did, "Yeah, well it's been a rough couple of days. What have you got?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid. There are no fingerprints on the scalpel or the letter. Whoever this apprentice is, they were careful."

"And the blood?"

"It was animal, not human. Most likely from a sheep or a cow."

"So forensics is a bust," Jane sighed in frustration.

"Did you want something, Jane?" Maura asked, "Agent Dean and I were done discussing the case anyway."

"Yes, you ladies keep safe," Dean smiled kindly, "I might see you around Jane."

Jane shrugged as Dean walked out of the morgue. She knew that she was a fool, but she was just not attracted to Agent Dean in the slightest, whereas he was clearly interested in her.

"So what's been going on with you, Maur? You've been awfully quiet."

"Oh I'm sorry Jane. I guess I just have a lot on my mind. And I figured you might want some space."

"No, not at all. I'm going mad on my own in my apartment. I wouldn't mind some company tonight, if you fancied a sleepover?" Jane suggested.

Maura suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "I don't know Jane. I've got all this stuff to do for Agent Dean and I am kind of swamped with paperwork at the moment and…"

Jane interrupted her, "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much. If you don't want to come round Maur, then just say that."

"Alright," Maura said sadly, "I really would rather not go Jane. Sorry."

"Hey," Jane said, wrapping her arm around Maura's shoulder, "What's up? You don't seem like yourself lately."

Maura wriggled away from Jane hurriedly, "Nothing, nothing. I just don't want to do this right now."

She moved towards the door, implying that it was time for Jane to leave. Jane, angry from being brushed off by her best friend, was more than happy to oblige, "Do what you want, Maura. But I have always been there for you when you needed me. Maybe for once you could step up and be there for me."

Jane stormed away from the morgue angrily, deciding to head over to the café to see her mother.

"Thanks Ma," Jane said as Angela passed her a cup of coffee.

"I'm worried about you Jane. It scares me half to death whenever you kids are in danger."

"I know Ma."

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid. Stay safe," Angela pleaded.

Jane nodded her head, but in her heart she knew that it would not take much more to push her over the edge, to push her to do something stupid.

* * *

The sound of the door knocking filled Jane with dread because it meant only one thing: Agent Dean had invited himself to her apartment, again. Of course, it could have been Maura, but Jane doubted that. And it could have been Hoyt's apprentice, ready to finally finish the job. To be honest, in Jane's mind, a visit from Agent Dean was pretty much on a par with a scalpel wielding murderer. Both were out to get her, both were annoyingly persistent, but only one of them could she shoot dead in self-defence to get rid of them. She would have to be more creative with Gabriel Dean.

She was right. On opening the door, Jane was met with Agent Dean holding a bunch of pink flowers. In a way, it was sweet, but all Jane could think of was her hatred of the colour pink. When would people finally understand that she was not the princess type?

"Agent Dean, what a surprise to see you here."

She just could not love that man. Sure, most women would be swooning over a federal agent such as the dashing Agent Dean, but not Jane. There was just something about him that made her push him away. They just didn't quite fit; he was not her soul mate.

"Hello Jane, I was just wondering if you wanted to catch up, maybe go out and get some dinner?" he asked eagerly.

"Well I…" Jane stammered as she tried to think of ways to get rid of Dean, "I have a bunch of things to do for tomorrow and it's been a long day anyway so…"

"We could get take-out if you don't fancy a trip out."

"I already ate," Jane lied quickly, adding forcefully, "I really don't want any company tonight. It's been a long week."

Agent Dean nodded disappointedly, "OK Jane, of course. Some other time then."

He handed her the flowers and Jane showed him out. She hated being rude but when was he finally going to get the message? She wasn't interested in him!

Jane lay down on the sofa, happy to be left in peace at last. Why was it that whenever Jane thought about love, she couldn't help but picture Maura in her head? Jane didn't fully understand it. She thought of other people too, sometimes Casey, sometimes Dean, but Maura, she was embedded somewhere much deeper than anyone else that Jane had ever loved.

Jane fell into a deep sleep that night; in fact, she slept so well that she didn't even wake up when Hoyt's apprentice slipped into her apartment, intent on carrying out the next step of their plan.

She didn't know it yet, but Jane Rizzoli had just been pushed over the edge.


	5. ONE OF YOUR OWN

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review if you want to.

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Chapter Five: ONE OF YOUR OWN

Jane knew that something was wrong as soon as she woke up.

She was still on the sofa where she had accidently fallen asleep the night before and now she had an uncomfortable crick in her neck. However, this was not the feeling of unease that Jane Rizzoli detected on awakening. She sat bolt upright and almost immediately she knew that someone had been in her apartment. Someone had been watching her.

As her senses sharpened and the fog began to clear from her mind, it became very clear to Jane what was wrong. Her eyes scanned her living room cautiously until suddenly she paused, fixated on one spot, gasping with horror.

There was blood all over the floor.

Jane's first thought was of the apprentice. They had been in her apartment last night, whilst she was sleeping. They had been in this room, probably standing over Jane. Why wasn't she dead? Or worse?

They had somehow gotten past Frankie and Frost, she thought, and she mused over her supposed "police protection." But then Jane began to panic; what if her partner and her brother were hurt, or dead? She started to run towards the door, scared that the apprentice had killed whoever was watching over her last night. She made her way half way across the apartment before she slipped on the pool of blood, crashing hard onto the floor.

That was when Jane saw that this time the blood had a source. A source that was lying on the floor, stone cold, beside her.

Jane got onto her knees, bending over the body before her, a hoarse lump building up in her throat. Tears streaked down Jane's face and through a series of raw sobs, she managed to whisper, "I'm sorry, Jo Friday."

Jane picked up the lifeless animal, which had been stabbed through the heart with a scalpel, and held it close to her. She cried for what seemed like an eternity, especially because Jane Rizzoli never cries. Then, slowly, she allowed the rage to consume her.

"I'm going to kill whoever did this," she growled through gritted teeth, "I swear it. They will pay."

As the detective cradled the dead dog in her arms, she turned her head to see a sight even more chilling; the wall behind where she had been sleeping was coated in Jo Friday's blood, the crude writing spelling out a sinister message. Jane stared at the wall, her whole body shaking violently. She read the words out loud, her voice quivering as her lips formed the words, "One of your own."

One of your own?

Whether the message was referring to the murder of Jo Friday or to the apprentice themselves, Jane did not know. She could think of nothing other than the words that had haunted her every night since Hoyt had whispered them to her; the words of warning against a traitorous friend who was Hoyt's Final Apprentice. The words burned through Jane's brain, igniting a fury that had been lying dormant since the very first time that Hoyt attacked her. Nothing was going to keep her away from the investigation, she'd see to that. And nothing was going to stop her from finding this traitor and dealing with them, by whatever means necessary.

"I got your call. What happened here?" Frankie asked in shock on entering the apartment, "Oh my God, Jane. Jo Friday. Are you hurt?"

"No," Jane answered emotionlessly, handing him the scalpel in an evidence bag, "They weren't here for me."

"What are you going to do?" Frankie asked, looking anxiously at the bloody mess.

"Watch me," Jane said.

* * *

Jane stormed into Cavanaugh's office, "Sir, I want to talk to you."

"Yes, Rizzoli, I'm sure you do," her boss sighed, "I'm not putting you on the case. Not after shooting Hoyt. You're in the middle of it. Look at you, you're out for revenge and I'm not feeding that. You can come back to work after this case, and not a minute before."

"With all due respect, sir, you aren't going to stop me investigating the person who is trying to kill me. For God's sake, they snuck into my apartment and killed my dog last night!" Jane snapped.

"Yes, I am. Investigate all you like Rizzoli, but not here. I'm giving my express orders that you should not be allowed access to the case. You're out of control. Go home before I have you thrown out."

Jane slammed the door to Cavanaugh's office in protest. Like hell was she going home to sit in the room where Jo Friday was murdered, the room where a psychopath had hurt someone that she loved, again.

Jane started to head into the bullpen but then decided against it when she caught the look that Cavanaugh was giving her through the blinds to his office. She would sneak back later. She pressed the down button on the lift, fully intending to go to the ground floor. However, once the lift arrived, Jane had an idea. She pressed the button for the basement; Cavanaugh would never know that she was getting off at the morgue rather than the lobby. Yes, Maura would tell her everything that she needed to know.

Jane strode into the morgue, slamming the doors noisily and startling Maura. She looked up, wide-eyed from the body she was working on, but once she had identified the source of the disturbance she returned to her work without even greeting Jane. They hadn't left on the best of terms yesterday because of the distance that Maura was throwing between them, and Jane attributed this to what happened with Hoyt. Why was she doing that? Jane felt Goosebumps forming on her arm; had it always been this icy in the morgue?

"Are you still in a mood with me?" Jane asked, "Because if you are, can we postpone it for now? I'm having a shit week and I kind of need my best friend."

"I'm not in a mood, as you put it, Jane. I just didn't appreciate you implying that I'm never there for you, yesterday, because we both know that's not true."

Jane met Maura's eyes and held her gaze. There was something in those big brown eyes of hers that Jane couldn't read. "You're not the only one who is having a bad week," Maura added.

Jane stepped a bit closer to her friend, catching a glimpse of the scar on her neck and feeling guilty, "You can talk to me about whatever is bothering you, you know Maur."

"No thank you Jane. I'm fine really. It's nothing compared to what you're going through," Maura said quietly, stepping further away from Jane.

"Why are you pushing my away, Maura?"

"Jane–"

"No. I wake up to find Jo Friday dead next to me and all you can think about is getting rid of me!"

Maura suddenly looked very ill, "Jo Friday was killed?

"A scalpel to the heart," Jane stated bitterly, "How's that for your shitty week?"

"I'm sorry. Are you OK Jane?"

"I just want to find who did this."

"OK," Maura answered softly.

"And I want my best friend back."

Jane noticed that Maura didn't reply to this and it got her thinking. Why was Maura so on edge at the moment? It only seemed to be when she was around. What was her friend hiding?

Maura was still feeling queasy. She could not stop thinking about Jo Friday. Everything had gotten so out of hand. Poor Jane, she was spiralling out of control, just like Hoyt wanted, and there was nothing that Maura could do about it.

Jane left the morgue soon after; prying information from Maura about the case had proved too difficult, especially due to her withdrawn nature. She had already been annoyed with her friend, but now, Jane was fighting a wave of anger. Why was Maura being such a jerk? She was fed up of being kept out of an investigation that concerned her life. She could think of only one option. Jane picked up her phone and dialled the only contact that she thought would come through for her.

Agent Dean answered his phone, "Jane, I'm so happy to hear from you."

"Yeah, listen; can you do me a favour?"

"Well I'll see what I can do, yes. What's the problem?"

Jane then proceeded to explain about Cavanaugh and how she was being kept out of the investigation. She also explained about Frost and Korsak and how she felt excluded from her own partners; she even added in the way that Maura was also treating her differently, going on for a bit longer than perhaps she should have.

Dean only laughed, "Alright Jane. I don't see why I can't give you a heads up when I find out something about the apprentice… if you promise you'll behave."

"Thank you Agent Dean."

"It's Gabriel," he insisted.

"Alright, thank you Gabriel," Jane smiled, "I just want to catch this guy, you know?"

"I'll catch you later today. We're waiting on the forensics for that scalpel you found this morning. Hopefully there'll be something there."

"Yeah, hopefully. Goodbye Gabriel."

Jane smiled to herself; maybe having an admirer in the FBI wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Jane couldn't bear to go home, so instead she sat in the Police Café contemplating everything that had happened the last week. Hoyt really was a sick son of a bitch. She didn't quite know if she believed that "someone that she loved" was behind everything, but either way, it was torture.

She also wasn't quite sure what scared her more, the idea of being hunted down by the apprentice, or the idea of her hunting them down and then doing the kind of things that she had been dreaming of lately.

Jane's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone and she hurriedly answered it when she saw that it was Agent Dean calling. She was pleased that it was so soon; he must have found something.

"Hello."

"Jane. You aren't going to like this."

"What? What? Have you found the guy?"

"Not exactly. I'm looking at the results on that scalpel and we have managed to identify a fingerprint."

"That's brilliant," Jane said, "Whose is it?"

"Now listen to me Jane. This is important. I've told you this information as a favour, but the director has advised me to delay liaising with your team, in order to, "Dean paused a moment to phrase his words precisely, "Due to the delicate nature of the matter."

"What do you mean a delicate matter? Why does the director not want us involved?"

"You must promise me that you will wait for me to get there," Dean said.

"Tell me, Gabriel!"

The line went silent for a long time before he finally uttered, "It's one of your own."

* * *

The sound of the mortuary door slamming startled Maura. She looked up from her latest cadaver expecting to see her lab technician or one of the detectives with a query about something. Instead Maura saw a tall figure standing in the doorway, masked by shadows.

She told herself not to panic; there was no reason for her to assume that this person meant her any harm. Of course, Maura knew that that wasn't strictly true, but then again, it could just be Jane. Yes, it was probably Jane messing with her.

Then Maura heard a sound that made her stomach turn. She heard the door lock.

Maura froze, her eyes fixed on the dark figure, her fingers wrapped tightly around her scalpel. "Hello?" she managed to ask, "Who's there?"

Her voice echoed across the room, "Jane, is that you?"

Jane Rizzoli stepped out of the darkness and Maura let out a relieved sigh. "God Jane, for a minute there I thought you were a serial killer!"

When Jane didn't laugh Maura felt a chill creep up her spine. Why was Jane looking at her with such anger? Maura had never seen her friend look at her with anything but warmth before and so she could not understand the deep hatred that she saw when she looked into Jane's eyes.

Jane walked into the room, circling the morgue and Maura without speaking a word.

"I'm sorry Jane, is something wrong?" Maura asked nervously.

Jane drew her gun and aimed it at Maura.

* * *

A/N: I actually feel really bad about killing off Jo Friday! What did you think about the chapter? Enjoy the cliff-hanger for now and I promise to update in the next couple of days!


	6. THE FINAL APPRENTICE

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli & Isles; they belong to Tess Gerritsen, Janet Tamaro and TNT. I'm just having some fun with the characters and I don't profit from anything that I write.

A/N: Please leave a review if you want to and thanks to all those who have reviewed my story already!

* * *

Chapter Six: THE FINAL APPRENTICE

Jane Rizzoli watched as Doctor Isles reeled backwards in surprise.

She had seen the look of fear in her friend many times before, in fact, no less than one week ago, in the prison ward, Jane had seen the fear with which Maura reacted to Hoyt's attack. It was difficult to believe that she had been working for him; perhaps she had even been in on it? Maybe Maura Isles could lie? Jane didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Jane! What are you doing?" Maura spluttered, "Have you gone mad?"

Guns terrified Maura, and this was something that she tried to conceal from the homicide detectives that she worked with. Working as both a doctor and a Medical Examiner, she saw up close the damage that a bullet can inflict on the human body; more often than not, the victim ended up on her table. There was only one time that Maura had ever held a gun, and that was to protect Jane from one of Hoyt's apprentices.

Maura was confused. In that terrifying moment when Jane pointed her gun at her, she had quickly pieced together what was going through Jane's mind. Up until then she had thought that Jane was still angry with her about not wanting to sleep over the other night, but now that she knew that this was about the apprentice, she was scared about what Jane might do.

Maura instinctively tightened her hold on her scalpel. Jane glared at her, narrowing in on Maura's cutting tools, especially the one that she still held in her hand. Jane had thought she was finally rid of Charles Hoyt, except here was yet another doctor brandishing their scalpel as a weapon.

Here was another doctor that was an enemy to Jane.

"Drop the scalpel Maura," Jane centred her gun, focusing on the doctor's body, "Don't think for one minute that I wouldn't do it."

"God Jane, I'm not going to stab you," Maura stuttered as she gently placed the scalpel onto her table, "But please, you're scaring me."

Jane didn't understand the situation fully, and Maura knew that she couldn't explain it. That would be worse. Jane didn't know what was going on, the game, and yet she had waltzed in waving her gun anyway. That was just like Jane. And what did she mean, _"Don't think for a minute that I wouldn't do it."_ She would never, would she? Not after everything they'd been through; after how much they loved each other. Maura knew that she could never hurt Jane, even if it seemed like she had betrayed her, even if she _had_ betrayed her.

"Now step away from it. Slowly."

Maura stood for a second, her face white with fear in Jane's crosshairs.

She reluctantly began to step away from the body that she had been working on, each step bringing her closer to a Jane that terrified her. As she came to stand opposite Jane she looked from the eyes of her best friend and then to the barrel of her gun.

"Can you put that away now? It's not necessary."

She wasn't angry with Jane for pointing her gun; she knew how terrified she was of Hoyt's apprentices and for that, Maura was partly to blame. Maura watched as Jane assessed the situation. She wondered what Jane was thinking when she looked her up and down. Maura knew that she could never beat Jane in a fight, that much was certain, and in her five inch heels she wasn't running off anywhere either. As an apprentice, she couldn't inflict much damage. Except that Hoyt was no longer interested in _physical_ pain.

Jane lowered her weapon cautiously but the pierce of her glare was like a thousand bullets to Maura's chest. How had it all come to this?

"What is this about Jane?"

"Don't give me that Maura; you must know what this is about. I can see it on your face."

Maura's eyes stared wide into Jane's eyes. Maura really didn't want to lie; she was close to hyperventilating anyway, in panic. This was her worst nightmare. But she also knew that she couldn't tell the truth. Her only option was to say nothing at all. She looked down at her shoes.

"Maura! This isn't a social call," Jane said, moving in a step closer, taking Maura's chin and tilting her head up towards her, "Start talking."

Maura didn't get the impression that she could stall Jane any longer as she mumbled, "I really don't know what you want me to say."

"How about you start with my birthday cake and end with what you did to Jo Friday last night?"

Maura tried to put some space between herself and Jane, but there wasn't very much room to manoeuvre in; she didn't want to be next to Jane when she answered her. Instead, she resorted to giving Jane the most meaningful look that she had ever given anyone before and whispered, "Jane. There's a reason that I don't call every reddish brown stain blood. It's because, although it often is blood, what if it's not? Sometimes there is another explanation, no matter how sure you are that your assumption is the right one. That's something that you've yet to learn."

"Are you telling me that you didn't do these things? That you didn't betray me?" Maura noted that there was a glimmer of hope in Jane's words, and that made her incredibly sad.

The truth was that Jane didn't believe in her heart for one second that Maura was the bad guy; she loved her too much for that. But her brain and the evidence were telling her otherwise and as a detective, she couldn't ignore that. She was trained to get a confession.

"I'm just saying that sometimes the reddish brown stains aren't blood, right?"

"Just answer the questions directly Maura. Why was your fingerprint on the scalpel that killed Jo Friday?"

"My fingerprint? I… I don't–" Maura had no idea what the right thing to say to Jane was, and she started to tear up at the terrible things that had happened to Jane over the last few days and the part that she had played in it.

Jane took those tears as an admission of guilt, "I trusted you. For all of these years I thought you were my friend. But you were working for _him._"

"I've never stopped being your friend, Jane," Maura replied sincerely, "There have been a few brief arguments but I wouldn't have said that we weren't friends."

Maura was determined not to cry. Not now.

"I've never stopped being your friend Jane."

Jane was getting really fed up. She needed to know whether or not her best friend was the apprentice or whether the person was still out there. She was really scared; especially that someone that she would have died for a few days earlier might have been plotting to kill her. Jane thought that she could read people better than that. But Maura had always been different.

Maura was fumbling around so much in order to dodge Jane's questions that now Jane was beginning to suspect that she would not like her friend's answers. It was clear that Maura knew more than she had previously let on, that she was hiding the identity of the apprentice, whether it was her or not, and that in itself was a betrayal in Jane's eyes.

Jane drew her gun for a second time.

"Just tell me the truth, Maur. You were working for him, weren't you?" Jane raised her voice suddenly, "_Weren't you?"_

Maura's stomach lurched; the vengeance that she could see in Jane's face was making her feel faint. She briefly considered what would happen if Jane pulled the trigger; that perhaps she would rather die than answer the question that Jane was asking her. However, it was clear that it was time to tell Jane the truth.

She turned her head away as she spoke.

"Yes," she muttered quietly, "Charles Hoyt and I had a contractual agreement. But –"

Maura had no opportunity to elaborate.

"How could you–" Jane spat as she rammed Maura into the wall beside them, "How could you work for that creep?"

She twisted Maura's hands behind her back, pinning her body against the wall, "After everything he did to me."

Maura shouted out as best she could, stunned by the sudden attack and the sheer force with which Jane hurled her into the morgue wall.

"After everything, you'd torment me with scalpels?"

She had barely a second to focus before she felt the click of Jane's handcuffs snapping securely around her wrists.

Jane spun her around, her hands on Maura's shoulders. "And what about my dog? How could you do that?"

Maura winced in pain, "You're making a mistake Jane. Please. You can't do this."

Jane produced her police badge, "Yes, I can."

"Listen. Yes, I left the scalpels at your apartment. But I did _not_ kill Jo Friday; I would never…"

"So you admit it then? You are the apprentice."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Jane, when you know how much you mean to me."

"I'm giving you one last chance," Jane said angrily, "Are you, or are you not, Hoyt's Final Apprentice?"

Both women were shaking in anticipation of Maura's response.

"Yes," she replied softly, "It is me. I'm the Final Apprentice."

A tear slid down Maura's cheek. She was in the grips of a terrible dilemma and it sickened her that Hoyt had gotten exactly what he wanted, knowing that she could neither lie nor tell Jane the truth. Now everything was out of control and Jane was looking at her as if she wished she were dead.

"Are you arresting me?" Maura's voice quivered.

Jane looked at her darkly before answering, "Not yet."

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, all will become clear soon! And Jane isn't going to be fooled for too much longer… she's a smart cookie. And she does love her friend… a lot…What will Jane's reaction be? What is Maura hiding? How will Jane find out the truth? Let me know what you think!


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